Part One: When It All Began “Art cannot be modern. Art is primordially eternal.” Egon Schiele Art and Old Town first said “I do” in the 1840s when a group of German immigrants spread out from their settlement on Clark Street and moved... Read more »

That thou hadst seen that that…I have seen. We have heard the chimes at midnight. Jesu, the days that we have seen. William Shakespeare King Henry the Fourth: Part 2, Act 3, Scene 2 Equal Rights, Equal Dignity in the Eyes of the Law Somewhere, Henry Gerber is smiling. Why—because on June 26, 2015, in... Read more »

The Law Came Knocking At 2:00 a.m. on that Sunday morning in 1925, Henry Gerber heard a knock on his door. He opened it to find a newspaper man and a city detective who demanded to see “the boy”. Of course, there was no boy, but the detective arrested Henry Gerber for indecent behavior anyway.... Read more »

A Dream Deferred What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Langston Hughes Home, Not So Sweet Home, Chicago Henry Gerber returned to Chicago with a head full of ideas and a pocket full of dreams,... Read more »

My Old House True confession: I have carried on a love affair with my house at 1710 N. Crilly Court for the past thirty years. I love everything about it: its architecture, its history, its feel of old world elegance combined with contemporary convenience, its location, and, most of all, the feeling of home that... Read more »

Mary: The Mother Nobody Knows While the Virgin Mary is worshipped as the Mother of Christ, almost nothing is actually known about her. She is usually portrayed as a beautiful woman with folded hands and a loving expression on her face. Shocked at first by the announcement that she... Read more »

Leftovers You’re probably wondering why I’m publishing two pieces on Mothers a week after Mother’s Day. Well, I had them written, but for whatever reason, neglected to post them. And, it seems a shame to waste two perfectly good posts because I was doing—whatever I was doing. In fact, these two pieces are not about... Read more »

Mother’s Day: I Remember Mama First and foremost, I remember Mama John Van Druten This Sunday, May 10, we will honor our mothers—one way or another. Some will take their mother’s to brunch; others will present her with a gift. And, of course, there is the obligatory phone call when you will tell your mother... Read more »

From Rome with (Mother) Love Having covered the Egyptian (Isis) and Greek (Rhea) mother goddesses, I’ll move on the Roman version of the Great Mother of the Gods, Magna Mater, or as we might call her, “Big Mamma”. Her name was Cybele, and she was not at all like her predecessors. If you thought the... Read more »

Remembering Mama: Mother’s Day Part 2 One lamp — thy mother’s love — amid the stars Shall lift its pure flame changeless, and before The throne of God, burn through eternity Holy, as it was lit and lent thee here. Nathaniel Parker Willis Ode to a Grecian Mother Not to be outdone by the Egyptians... Read more »

Meet The Blogger

Shirley Baugher

Historian and Old Town chronicler, Shirley is now a freelance writer. She recently completed a new Old Town history for The History Press: The Hidden History of Old Town. It contains little known-stories about people and events from the area's colorful past. She is also writing reviews and interviewing filmmakers for Zacuto USA, a video production company.